


Something Different

by PastyPirate



Series: Worst Kept Secret In The Rebellion [3]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Fake Marriage, Fake Marriage while actually dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Minor Original Character(s), minor references to sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 11:02:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9232001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastyPirate/pseuds/PastyPirate
Summary: For a woman who got to spend three weeks on a cruise liner with her boyfriend,while pretending to be married to him,she didn't actually get much alone time with Cassian.In Which: Jyn and Cassian go undercover as a married couple, and Bodhi has to play their butler. It goes about as well as to be expected.





	

Joreth Sward was a toad, he spent his whole career bouncing from one planet to another sucking up to high ranking officers of The Empire. His wife was a spoiled brat who moped and coasted in her husband’s wake. 

Playing Jera Sward was the most fun Jyn had in years- quite possibly decades.

“Having you on this mission is just a bad idea,” Cassian announced from where he leaned on a door frame in the suite they’d been in for just under a week. 

Bodhi popped up from behind the bed, where he’d been trying to reach something that rolled under it for the last minute, in order to point at himself. He was playing their hapless butler, who was always nowhere to be found yet indispensable. His persona dovetailed perfectly with the affluent couple who could apparently care less about anyone else. In actuality, Bodhi was the only one who fly the ship they were looking for, the prototype for a new and horribly destructive fighter class that The Empire was supposedly testing. 

“No, not you, you’re fine. You don’t keep implying you want to kill everyone on board-” Cassian shifted his weight, and Jyn shot him a dirty look using the mirror she sat in front of. 

“They think I’m cute, they think I’m _joking_ ,” Jyn spun in her seat, shoving the skirts that billowed out around as she turned to face him, she ignored how the vanity desk limited her motion, “they think I’m _witty_.”

“I still have no idea why they sent you on this trip, Draven still hasn’t forgiven-” Cassian cut himself off by sucking his teeth, he leaned forward and bunched her skirts in his hands and dislodged them, before smoothing them down. 

“You’re joking right?” Bodhi stood up, clutching what had rolled under the bed, the mock up of the keys Bodhi was supposed to be searching for while Jyn and Cassian gathered intel. His eyes bounced between the two of them pointedly. 

“It’s probably because I fight better without a weapon than any of the intelligence officers left,” Jyn supplied, and Bodhi just scoffed, rolling his eyes and opening his mouth to lurch into another statement. 

“You better get going, the maid is going to be here soon,” Cassian jerked his head towards the door. Bodhi’s mouth snapped shut and he nodded and tucked the mockup into his shirt, and gave them a quick salute before sailing out of the door. 

Jyn watched him go, envious of his simple mid-rim draped robes that butlers tended to wear. Even Cassian’s formal wear was simple and pliable. Jyn was wearing more layers in one outfit then she’d ever worn in her life- and apparently she was just in her _underclothes_. The only solace she found was the knowledge that not only did Cassian have a wide and varied understanding of mid-rim fashion, but he also knew about _makeup_. She had yet to discover why. 

“Help me put this on,” she gestured towards the clothes, a woman was supposed to come as her personal lady in waiting, but all the intelligence officers were out on missions. Jyn assumed was the reason why she was there, and not safely tucked away in a tactical unit helping build plans. 

Cassian didn’t seem flustered as he pulled the dress off the bed and began to help Jyn into it. he hadn’t been flustered once the whole time they were on this ridiculously overpriced cruise. It was stunning watching him work. He slid into the skin of Sward with more ease and finesse then Jyn imagined possible. Jera Sward was supposed to be a lovely lady, more friendly than smart- but Jyn couldn’t pull it off. Her automatic facial expressions around strangers (surly, angry, exasperated, annoyed) meant that the high class crowd they were rubbing elbows with assumed she was just bored and homesick. It was an angle that worked for her. 

“I hate these clothes,” she mumbled, frowning at the mirror as his fingers drifted over the laces, securing them out of view. 

“Yeah, well at least they’re made for your body shape, imagine trying to wear them-” Cassian’s eyes met her own in the mirror over her shoulder, there was a gleam of humor. 

She turned once he stepped back, sitting heavily on the bed, “you had to wear high mid rim fashion?”

“I suggested the idea, no one would go for it,” Cassian’s smile was melancholy as he looked up at her, “in the end it was the only way out. We convinced a pair of prostitutes to give us their least favorite clothes and we managed to get off planet. I think I was sixteen? Draven swore me to secrecy.” 

“You just told me,” Jyn hitched her skirts as high as she could, Cassian read her mind, scooting back on the bed so she could straddle his legs.

“You don't count, you're my wife, for this month anyways,” his grin was wicked, she only felt slightly bad for running her fingers through his hair, ruining how he’d brushed it back. Intelligence officers shouldn't have such soft hair, it just wasn't _fair._

“And at the end of the month I'll just forget the mental image of you and Draven in dresses,” she stroked his cheek, his goatee was gone and she missed it sorely but it helped with the mental image of what he must've looked like at sixteen. 

“What happens on Panora Cruise Lines stays on Panora,” his hands rested high on her hips, but when she leaned forward he leaned back, her frown had him smiling “you just spent two hours on your makeup-” 

“Fine, I'll just-” she tugged the folds of his formal wear open, his chest was scarred and packed with lean muscles. Her lips left red outlines where she pressed them against his warm skin. She made sure that the marks would be hidden when he fixed his shirt. She sat back grinning, “look, I'll know it's there and you'll know.”

“Are you trying to kill me?” The fire in his eyes was her favorite kind, he looked like he wanted to toss her on the bed and screw both her and the mission. She knew he'd do neither.

“Consider this payback for last night,” after Bodhi had gone to bed in his tiny adjacent quarters Cassian held her down, his head between her legs and made her see stars for what felt like hours. Some lipstick stains on the inside of his shirt was hardly equal revenge but she knew he’d think about it, he’d rest his hand there while faking a laugh or expressing his condolences and her mark would be there- on his skin, “And it’s also a promise for tonight.”

“You’re-” The door hissed open, and Bodhi led the maid into the room. Cassian moved swiftly, grabbing Jyn by the waist and crumpling the fabric to stand her upright. He stood up himself, letting Jyn tug his shirt closed. He shot her a grin before turning to face Bodhi and the maid. 

The maid had a blush high on her cheeks, and stood just behind Bodhi, as if she was afraid that they’d throw a heavy object at her. Bodhi used the narrow window of opportunity he had to mouth _That’s why_ to them both. Cassian gave them a quick wave and strolled into the bathroom, his charming persona lodged carefully in place. Cassian would have a constructed grin on his mouth for the rest of the night, every other sentence would be punctuated with a wink. Jyn felt that in another time, when they weren’t broken people scraping with every bit of strength they had to build a better world- Cassian would probably make an amazing actor. 

Jyn, not so much. 

Jyn awkwardly sat back at her vanity, ignoring both the maid and Bodhi because that’s what she figured people did to maids, her only experience was a brief summer where she’d worked at a shady underworld casino to try and earn enough money to get off the rock Saw had abandoned her on. 

“Ma’am, I’m so sorry to have intruded-” the maid started as she stepped near where Jyn sat in too many skirts. The fear in her eyes was too much, Jyn couldn’t help but let her own personality through. She wanted to protect the maid who had the unfortunate task of being assigned to their room for the rest of the trip. 

“Oh no, don’t worry, we got distracted,” Jyn flapped a hand, casually as if she wasn’t terrified that the diamonds she wore would clatter to the ground, “I just needed a moment to collect myself, my husband is quite the-” 

Out of the corner of her eye she caught the eye roll Bodhi had shot them, at least she was doing a better job of playing a spoiled wife than he was of playing a dependable and respectful butler. 

“I’m sure?” The maid suggested it more as a question than a statement, which meant Jyn said something wrong again. 

“Tell me, what’s your name?” Jyn smiled widely at her, and the maid blushed again. 

“Kumo,” she offered a little half bow as she said it, which made Jyn’s smile turn from forced to genuine. 

“I’m Jera, you’ve met Caines,” she gestured towards Bodhi, careful not to point a finger but use her whole hand, she really should’ve paid more attention to the debriefing packet. “And my husband Joreth.” 

“It’s a pleasure,” Kumo did her little half bow again, and Jyn’s heart continued to melt. 

“Same, and please, be honest with me, how terrible is my makeup?” Jyn did a sweeping gesture of the vanity table, “I’ve been lost without my lady-in-waiting. So unfortunate.” 

“It’s flawless, except,” Kumo shot a look at Bodhi who pretended to be doing something in the other room, “you might want to refresh your lips. And also allow me to straighten your skirts?” 

“Perfect,” Jyn responded with her best imitation of Cassian’s wink. At Kumo’s giggle she figured she had done alright.

XxXxXxXxX

Kumo walked in on them twice more before learning to knock obnoxiously. Quietly Jyn agreed with Bodhi but she kept telling him it was for her skills both with and without weapons. It helped Bodhi perfect his eye rolling skills.

The actual mission itself was laughably easy, with Cassian’s lead they managed to melt into the group of Empire big-wigs and their respective spouses without a problem. Jyn’s job was to infiltrate the spouses, which wasn't hard. They found her dour demeanor delightful, her clothing exquisite, and they had no problem discussing their spouses’ top secret assignments and plans in front of her. 

One spouse in particular, a woman called Sera (who was delighted that she and Jera had rhyming names, which Jyn found hilarious because she had pulled the name out of thin air) decided that they were best friends, and latched on to her accordingly.

Sera kept a vice like grip on Jyn’s arm when they went for strolls about the cruise deck, she always made sure to sit on Jyn’s other side when Jyn and Cassian sat at her table for dinner. Sera went out of her way to invite both Jyn and Cassian to as many events as possible. 

Jyn- playing a depressed and codependent wife- would always make Cassian confirm or deny plans. Partially because she knew Cassian could see the angles of what needed to be done. But also because she had a knee jerk reaction to shut down any suggestions. 

For a woman who got to spend three weeks on a cruise liner with her boyfriend, _while pretending to be married to him,_ she didn't actually get much alone time with Cassian. 

Their days were spent in the idle pursuits of the wealthy, their evenings at lavish dinners, and their nights were spent plotting with Bodhi. The increasingly rare moments of privacy frequently came to a halt with the frantic knocking at the door. 

In fact; three weeks in and the last thing she wanted to do was button herself into another ridiculous outfit and sit idly for hours on end trying to absorb every bit of detail. 

Jyn stood in her binding and underwear and glared at the bathing suit on the bed. Willing it to disappear so she could just curl up in it’s place. 

Instead her fingers plucked at her binding, flinging it down with her underwear so she could pull on the suit. The top and bottom were made with an solid fabric of a dark green. The rest of the suit was compromised of a thin sheer light green fabric that covered her from her neck to her toes, the cuffs of her sleeves were the same dark color as the suit. She struggled to clasp the buttons by herself, and eventually gave in to call Kumo to help her out. Cassian was off with the lead officer, a woman who liked to play a ridiculous game that involved heavy metal sticks and a tiny ball that they’d whack off the top floor of the ship into the ocean of the planet they were on. 

Cassian was due back in ten minutes to _escort_ her to the pool. It was another social rule she didn't quite get but she was playing her part until the end. 

“Do you need anything else ma’am?” Kumo asked, doing her half curtesy. 

_A less ridiculous swimsuit, for all mid rim socialites to have less stupid clothing,_ “that’ll be all, thank you Kumo.” 

And just like that, Kumo abandoned Jyn to tug on the sandals (the third pair she had worn that week, the color matched the suit) and grumble about the clothes. She wasn't even sure who packed for her, but whoever did definitely hated Jyn with all their being. 

It was the first outfit she couldn't hide several blasters in, not that she needed them, all of the guards were hefty people who once could take Jyn in a fight but were long past their glory days now. It also didn’t hide her scars, but the fabric made the deep jagged cuts hard to see. If someone noticed some of them she’d quickly make up a lie, that was at least something she was good at. 

Jyn grabbed her abandoned clothes and hefted them towards the closet, trying her best to put them back in the right place. Jyn was positive that the next morning Kumo would walk in first thing in the morning and happily chatter gossip as she fixed the closet to rights, just as she had every other morning that week. 

The main door slid open and she shot a look at Cassian and Bodhi as they dragged the sticks in, just in time to escort her to the pool. She smothered the groan that threatened to rise, and instead focused on hanging up her dress. 

From the closet she could hear Bodhi go into his own room as Cassian stepped into theirs. 

“How was the game?” she called from the closet. 

“I lost,” She saw Cassian’s shirt on the bed, and his pants that followed quickly. His own swimsuit (which was perfectly reasonable and normal, thanks a lot _fashion_ ) had been laid out on the bed next to hers. 

“So when you lose, is it because you, Cassian, do not know how to win, or you, Joreth the monumental suckup, want to let her win so she’ll like you?” Jyn stepped through the door and eyed Cassian’s back as he pulled the bottom of the suit up. His long back curved, and the lean muscle bunched under the skin as he shifted. His hair looked windswept, it called to her, and she resisted the temptation to run her fingers through it until he was done changing at the very least. 

“I’m offended that you even-” Cassian started, grin on the profile of his face as he turned to face her. He stopped talking suddenly, his jaw dropped slightly, and closed with a snap as the twinkle in his eye turned into a fire. 

“Don’t you dare look at me like that,” Jyn stepped back, “do not find me attractive when I’m wearing the most ridiculous thing ever-” 

“I can’t help it, look at you,” he gestured towards the length of her own body, before hitching his hands on his hips, “you just look- wow.”

“Shut up,” She crossed her arms, before pointing with one diamond studded hand at his tempting happy trail, “you can’t say that when you’re shirtless. We can’t be late again.” 

“Ah, but we are two young newlyweds desperately in love,” Cassian’s grin was wicked, even as a jealous thought in her head pointed out that they weren’t _actually_ newlyweds, “if we don’t show up at least a little bit late then what’s even the point?” 

“Okay,” Bodhi’s voice called from the other side of his door, “I’m not going to say that I can hear every word you say, but please stop. Please stop right now.”

“Fine, let’s go,” Cassian tugged on a robe, and left it hanging open because apparently he no longer just wanted to torture her when they were in bed together, but _all the time_.

Jyn tried to step around him, but Cassian caught her wrist, leaning in close to her ear to whisper “but if you think for one moment that I’m not going to peel that off you tonight then you my friend are sorely mistaken.”

“If you’re trying to kill me, using your blaster would be quicker.” Jyn gritted out between her teeth, Cassian just shot her a quick smile and gave her a quick kiss. She tried her best to glare at him as she grabbed her own robe to pull on. 

The torture didn’t stop with the exchange of barbs. He held her arm in the crook of his own as they walked towards the pool. In their typical layers of clothes she couldn’t feel the heat of his arms. The thin robes and the sheer bathing suit weren’t the greatest barriers. Her elbow kept getting caught in his robe and her arm would brush his side, and all she could feel was the warmth of his side with a small traitorous thought running through her mind, _If we ran back to the room now only Bodhi would know._

Bodhi walked two paces behind them, doing his best to look everywhere but at them. Jyn was 90% sure that he wouldn’t rat them out. 

The pool was a wide glittering expanse of blue on a high deck. Along one side stood a bar, the officers and business people talking over glasses of varying colors of liquid. Along the other side sat the spouses, men and women in various stages of conversation and reading, and basking in the two suns of the Panora star system. 

Jyn gave Cassian a look, one that hopefully conveyed the _Kill Me Now_ sentiment she was feeling. His smile was wide and faker than some of gold paneling in the bathrooms. But when he leaned forward and pressed his cheek to hers (emulating the _stupid_ kisses of the wealthy) he spoke quick and quietly, “remember, no matter what happens, tonight I’ll be taking you out of that dress.” 

“Really, you’re going to have to get more inventive with your torture methods,” she lied, as his torture methods were still perfectly effective. 

Bodhi’s face was blank, as if he was silently pretending he didn’t overhear a damn thing. For once she had to resist the urge to smirk as she sauntered towards her colleagues. 

“Jera! My darling! Don’t you look exquisite!” Sera patted the chair next to her own. Jyn took the hint and laid down in it, at least if she was forced to listen to inane chatter for hours she’d get to be lying down for it. 

“Thank you, my love. You look wonderful as well,” Jyn settled herself in for a long afternoon, her eyes scanning the opposite side of the pool until she saw Cassian standing next to a cluster of men and women, which included Sera’s husband D ( _”D what?” she’d asked Cassian, as she flipped through the booklet. “D, just D” Cassian responded, and for the first time that mission she rolled her eyes, it wouldn’t be the last._ ). Cassian smiled, rubbing his chin with one hand as the other hand pushed back his robe to settle on his hip, and _what gave him the right_ she thought angrily as she frowned. There were at least twenty people standing around the bar, and he clearly outshone all of them. 

“Like you’ve ever noticed another human being in your life,” Sera said with a laugh, Jyn turned towards her, raising an perplexed eyebrow. Sera and D were from one of the inner rim planets known for peculiarities. The main one being that the citizens were ridiculously honest. A list of “known cultural traits” had been in the packet, and Jyn had spent half of the ride to Panora loudly exclaiming them towards Bodhi from the passenger seat. 

“Whatever do you mean?” Jyn grabbed the fan that Sera had abandoned and began to fan herself. The temperature was exactly the same as the rest of the ship, as the ship had a forcefield around it to keep everything boringly lukewarm. The fan was a prop that Jyn had gotten a fair amount of experience with. 

“Please, you’re always checking to make sure he still exists,” Sera leaned back, folding her hands in her lap. 

“Who still exists?” Jyn eyes flitted across the pool, Cassian’s knee bent slightly, and he looked relaxed. She bet if someone pulled a gun he’d kill most of them before they even realized. 

“Your husband,” Sera said it with a singsong voice, her head jerking towards Cassian. The stab of regret was almost as familiar now as the ache of loss. It wasn’t the first time she pretended to be married to get her way, but it was the first time she actually wanted to be married. As the mission dragged on, the more and more she hated how people called him _her_ husband, as if there was a sign that hung over his head that said _Nope, not actually yours_.

“Well, I mean, look at him, he’s very easy to look at,” Jyn tried for a smile, playing the lovesick newly wed, instead of the lovesick girlfriend who wasn’t sure if they’d survive to see thirty together. 

Sera’s eyes lingered on Cassian, drifting down his chest towards the swimsuit he wore. 

“Alright okay, that’s enough looking,” Jyn’s sullen tone had Sera laughing, as if Jyn was actually joking. 

“Well, my husband isn’t exactly ugly,” Sera nodded her head towards D, and Jyn turned her head, feeling vaguely like she was wandering into a trap. Alarm sirens were blaring in her head as she looked at D. Yeah, sure, he wasn’t _hideous_. D was muscled, the modest preserving robe was long gone, and his pale blond hair was braided down one side of his neck. He reminded her of Han Solo, an attractive guy that yeah, maybe she’d give him a shot in a dark bar on a seedy planet. But not after she laid eyes on Cassian Jeron Andor. 

“You’re right, I guess,” it was a weird kind of thing to be doing, no one else had pulled her into complementing their spouses, yet here she was, trying to do her best to convey _eh_ without offending Sera. The alarm bells were still ringing. 

“Speaking of which, Jera,” Sera’s voice had gone low, and the bells and raised to a fever pitch, “what do you know about my home world?”

XxXxXxXxX

Jyn Erso was the champion of fleeing when needed. It was kind of her thing. She’d escaped at least one prison cell by a well timed escape, and of course, there was Scarif. Granted there was all those times she got caught by the guards, and Kaytu during her last prison break attempt. Generally, she was pretty fantastic at it.

But pretending to have her time of the month to escape an awkward social situation was not exactly her proudest moment. 

“You don’t get it Cassian, she was going to ask me to swap husbands for a night!” Jyn threw her arms up in the air, glaring at her fake husband, “swap husbands!”

“That makes no sense, why would she want to do that?” he was still wearing the swimsuit, but the robe had been abandoned when he all but ran in the room to check on her. She _told_ Bodhi to tell Cassian not to worry for this exact scenario. In response to his questions she just pointed at him, his hands hitched on his hips. He looked down at himself before rolling his eyes, “Oh come on.” 

“No, you come on, you know you’re attractive-” he opened his mouth to say something else, but she barrelled on, “she’s been asking me all these intensely private questions for weeks now, about what you’re like in bed and if you’re _attentive_ and I’ve been dodging them left and right and now she wants to swap you.” 

“This is okay, we can fix this,” it didn’t escape her that he said _we_ but she also knew that if there was a list of agents who would put the rebellion’s needs above their own then Cassian’s name was at the top of the list. She realized it with sudden clarity, that he killed for the rebellion, he’d definitely would’ve done _this_ for the rebellion. Jyn knew that their relationship had thrown his life out of whack. His single minded dedication to the rebellion was something she’d frequently teased often. They’d been together for almost a year and half, and she knew in her heart that he loved her more than anything. But there was also the scared little girl, whose father had disappeared into the folds of the empire, and had been abandoned in a bunker by Saw Gerrera. She wondered how long that scared little girl would test Cassian’s loyalties.

“You’re not thinking of-” she trailed off, unsure of how to ask the question, “You don’t want to right?” 

“Of course I don’t want to!” It was Cassian’s turn to fling up his arms. 

“You have before though,” she didn’t know why she wanted to know. There were some questions she never thought to ask. His eyes snapped to hers and she waited, patiently. 

“Yes,” he said after a moment, “before.” 

“Please tell me you didn’t have to give your virginity to some dastardly person and-” She tried to break the tension, and not imagine small little Cassian, doing everything he could to make the rebellion work. 

“No, no.” Cassian shook his head, “I was mostly using my body as a distraction, she thought I was a member of the rebellion forces and- it doesn’t matter. That was _before_.”

Jyn nodded, frowning as she did so, looking down at her sleeves, she couldn’t fake being happy for a mission, and she definitely couldn’t fake being happy to him. The bed dipped and Cassian came into her eye line, dipping the mattress as he did so. 

“The moment you took my hand on Scarif was the last moment I- even before Scarif. Jyn.” his hand lifted her chin, and she did her best not to pout, “Jyn, you’re the only one.” 

The corner of her mouth lifted, and she tried to rub the moment in the scared little girl’s face, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. 

“Besides,” Cassian’s lips brushed against hers as he spoke, “I’d rather you shoot me with my own blaster than let D go anywhere near you.”

“Please, I’ve never been able to shoot you with your own blaster-” he arched an eyebrow, and she amended the statement, “well definitely not since Jedha.” 

“Oh really, Jedha?” Cassian smiled, “Not just Scarif?”

“I mean, I was absolutely ready to abandon you as soon as I found my dad, but not shoot you,” She pressed another kiss to his lips, he stopped smiling long enough to kiss her back. 

It took them a few moments before she could sit back on her haunches and pull away from Cassian’s arms. He mirrored her, kneeling, with her hands clenched in his own. 

“How long do you think I bought with the whole ‘I have my period,’ gambit?” She smiled wide, “Genius, right?” 

“Well,” Cassian started, and did his best to smile. 

“Oh no,” Jyn muttered.

XxXxXxXxX

Her safe place, their suite, their bed, had been invaded by a bunch of soul sucking vapid monsters.

At least the men had deigned to stay away. 

“You’re so strong!” One of the women said, from her chair at the edge of the bed. Jyn lifted the blankets just a tad bit higher. _One more day_ she muttered to herself. 

“Here’s some chocolates, to get you through this hard time,” Sera said with a smile, setting a box of chocolates down on her cabinet. Jyn nodded and tried for a thankful smile. 

“Um, Ma’am?” Kumo’s voice was a breath of fresh air in the druggy mists of pretend sympathy. How did these women get anything done if they spent the first three days swaddled up in bed? Sure, Jyn would love to spend any period of time just sitting in her bed doing nothing, but she almost always had things to do. Hell she’d mapped out an entire attack plan on her last, and the time before that she’d helped train some of the newbies. 

“Yes?” Jyn asked, doing her best to convey her eternal gratitude with her eyes, because throwing herself at Kumo’s feet and yelling hymns of joy were probably frowned down upon in those circles. 

“Your husband is-” Kumo didn’t even finish before the ladies were standing up, shaking out their immense skirts to abandon Jyn in her room. 

Jyn waited until the last of them were out of the door before throwing the blanket back. 

“Thanks Kumo, I don’t think we’ll be needing you for the rest of the night,” which apparently was code for _I’m going to bang my husband_ on most nights. She wondered if the connotation changed when she was on her period. 

Kumo didn’t question it, Jyn was fairly confident Kumo knew she was faking it anyways, Kumo just bowed and backed out of the room. 

Cassian stepped in a moment later, as Jyn was eying the candies. He made a beeline for his dresser, pulling a tool out of the top drawer from under his clothes. 

“You’re going to test these aren’t you?” Jyn asked, even as Cassian held the machine aloft. 

“There’s no listening devices, but I can’t be sure about poison- hey!” As soon as he lowered his arm she grabbed one and shoved it in her mouth. 

“Listen, if I’m being uncomfortably courted, I get to eat the chocolates. No one has ever gotten me chocolates before,” he frowned at that, and grabbed the whole box out of her arms and dumped it into the garbage, “hey!” 

“I’ll get you chocolates that don’t hold any threat of poison when we get back to proper society,” Cassian’s frown suddenly made much more sense. 

“You don’t have to court me, you’ve already got me,” Jyn reached up and tugged his belt, it was lighter without the blaster riding on his hip. 

“I should’ve courted you a little bit-” he started, but she felt the need to remind him exactly what happened. 

“You asked me to dinner and I shoved you into a closet and told you that if you didn’t take me right then and there I’d explode,” Jyn grinned, “you didn’t need to bring me flowers, you brought me a bouquet of-”

“Don’t finish that thought,” Cassian shook his head, before jerking his chin towards the closet, “besides, it’s time. We found the prototypes, and we have the intel. You want to get out of here tonight?”

Jyn’s response was to grin widely.

XxXxXxXxX

“I _told_ you it was for my fighting skills!” She shouted at Bodhi as he clambered into the fighter, hidden deep within the cruise ship. She stood over the unconscious body guard and kept better guard herself, looking around with narrowed eyes at the rest of the hanger.

Bodhi’s response was swallowed by the clanging he was making inside the fighter, his head poked out, “seems to be pretty straight forward I just need the key.” 

As if summoned, Cassian appeared, looking better than he had in weeks in his standard _I'm a super secret covert officer _uniform, as Jyn liked to think of it. The key- a complex mechanism roughly the same size as a child- was in the crook of his arm, his other arm hang limply at his side, his hand on his blaster.__

__“What happened here?” Cassian asked with a smile, as he stepped over another guard._ _

__“Draven picked me for the mission because of my hand to hand combat skills-”_ _

__“Just give me the key, all this lying is not good for anyone,” Bodhi leaned forward and grabbed the key out of cassian’s arm before disappearing into the small prototype. His head popped up a second later, “so, small problem.”_ _

__“It's too small for all three of us?” Cassian asked, his suddenly free hand stroked the corner of Jyn’s face, she knew the bruise forming there probably looked pretty bad. Getting smacked in the face with a crowbar tended to do that to people._ _

__“Yeah, what do we do, our escape plan is-” Bodhi’s voice disappeared as his head did, the fighter was apparently sound proof._ _

__“Don't worry about it. We have a plan B. Meet us at the rendezvous point?” Cassian paused for a second, waiting for Bodhi's response. The machine roared to life and the pair of them stepped back._ _

__Bodhi’s head popped up again, “what are you going to do? Just leave?”_ _

__“Everything is packed and ready to go, plus it'd be suspicious if we left in the middle of the night,” Cassian nodded confidently and Jyn wanted to point out that it'd be suspicious if they also left _without their butler_ but then she realized that for most of their stay Bodhi would disappear for chunks of time and no one questioned it. _ _

__“Rendezvous point?” Bodhi asked, confirming._ _

__“We’ll see you there by the end of tomorrow. If not go back to the base without us- we’ll get there in time,” Cassian tugged Jyn’s arm before looking down at the guards, “none of these people saw your face right?”_ _

__Jyn nodded, tugging on the scarf that now say looped around her neck, patting herself on the back for her stroke of genius. She jerked her head towards the bay doors, “let's let him out, and go home._ _

____

XxXxXxXxX

The walk back to the room is a weird parody of their walk to the pool several days before. She clutched his arm as they walked because frankly the head injury made her slightly dizzy. Her last night on an ocean cruiser and she'd probably have to spend it with a Bacta pad wrapped around her head as she choked down whatever meds Cassian pulled out of the aid kit.

Cassian seemed a million miles away, but his eyes kept sliding from the hall to her bruised profile. 

“I'm fine, I've had worse,” she smiled, “you once fell twenty feet and you got mad at me for trying to carry you.” 

“That was the adrenaline talking,” Cassian tugged her closer, wrapping his arm around her waist and while his other hand pulled her arm around his neck, “you look exhausted.” 

“This has been exhausting, I don't know how you do it,” she let him manhandle her because she found it adorable, “getting smacked in the face was the most refreshing thing that happened this month-” Cassian shot her a look of concern “-besides _that_ of course.” 

Cassian was smiling as the door slid open, it was refreshing to see his real smile again, it was less refreshing to see it slide off his face at the sight of Kumo standing in the room. 

“Ma’am!” Kumo shouted just as Jyn squeaked her name. 

Kumo rushed forward, the concern on her face didn't stop Cassian from grabbing his blaster with his free hand. Jyn yanked on his neck. 

“I'm fine we’re fine-” she wasn't sure if she was trying to tell Kumo that she was okay or if she was trying to tell Cassian not to shoot the maid. 

“Come in quick, something’s happened and they're looking for traitors, I rushed down here as soon as I heard-” Kumo tugged Jyn into the room and slapped the controls so the door would shut. 

“What?” Cassian asked as Jyn sat heavily on the couch, “did you tell-” 

“I haven't told her a thing- did Caines-” Jyn turned to Kumo who was checking the door cam, the vision was staticky. Cassian had been periodically breaking the security system on the ship so no one would be suspicious if all the cams shut down at once. 

“No, I figured it out,” Kumo spun towards them and Jyn tried to grab Cassian’s hand that still rested on his blaster. 

“You _figured it out_?” Cassian sounded horribly offended, which made Jyn want to smile wider than the bruise on her face would allow her. 

“Yes, well I wasn't sure about _you_ but there was no way that _she_ was highborn-” Kumo leaned against the door, bracing it as if it’d stop whoever from coming in. 

“Hey my family was wealthy! How’d you know that I wasn't some lady who was trying to marry above her station-” she gestured towards Cassian, who she still gripped tightly. He wasn't cornering Kumo and berating her for Intel, which Jyn figured meant he was halfway to trusting her. 

“Well, every time someone said something anti-rebellion you'd clench your jaw the same way you'd clench your jaw when I laid out a dress for you, I figured you were up to something,” Kumo smiled, smoothing down her own dress, “for awhile I thought you were pretending to be married to him for Intel but then I realized no one is that good at faking it.” 

Cassian had a mix of pride and offense cross his face. As if _he_ could fake what they had for intel. Jyn wouldn’t buy it. 

“Well, thanks-” Jyn started, then a banging came at the door, Cassian had her up in two seconds and against the wall beside the door, behind a potted plant. His blaster was out and he gestured between Kumo and the door. 

Jyn wanted to do something else, like pinch Cassian for immediately going from distrusting Kumo to using her against the empire, but the world was spinning and Cassian’s arm around her waist was the only thing keeping her upright. 

Kumo nodded, taking in a deep breath and smoothing down her skirts before leaning forward to press the doors open, “yes?” 

“Where is Joreth?” A voice barked, out of Jyn’s view. 

“Mr. Sward is currently indisposed-” she nodded her head towards the closed bedroom doors. 

“Go get him,” the voice got louder, and Jyn recognized it as the officer who liked the deck sport. 

“Ma’am, he’s in the middle of-” when the officer stepped forward, Kumo shifted, holding up her hands, “please, I think Jera would prefer it if I received him, please wait in the hall.” 

She reached forward and gently poked the panel so the doors would slide shut. Kumo turned to them with wide eyes, “what-” 

Cassian put his finger to his lips, before tucking his blaster away and all but carried Jyn to the bedroom. He lowered her into the vanity chair and instantly began to tug off his clothes. Kumo let out a squeak of embarrassment, just as Cassian pointed towards Jyn. 

“Clean her up, they won't leave until they see both of us, then you're going to pretend to leave out the back door and crawl into Caines’ bed,” Cassian was tugging a robe over his shoulders as he gave her a step by step instruction on what to do. 

Jyn let her head loll to the side to see what Cassian meant by ‘clean her up.’ Half of her face was her usual color, the other half was a disturbing mix of red and purple, she lifted her hand to poke at it “they’re gunna think you hit me.” 

Cassian frowned, hitching his hands on his hips and obviously not caring that he was standing next to Kumo in his underwear. 

“I've got it under control- just go and do whatever it is you do,” Kumo began tugging the compartments open on the vanity. 

“Wait-” Jyn stretched out her hand towards Cassian, his look of concentration turned to one of concern as he stepped towards her. She reached out with her hand and messed up his hair, his face once again shifting, this time to a frown, “-no one would buy it without sex hair.” 

Kumo let out a nervous giggle which only made Jyn smile more. Cassian tugged the collar of the robe up as he shook his head. 

As Cassian stepped out of the room, Kumo tapped Jyn’s chin, Jyn took the cue and lifted her face, and began smearing makeup on the bruise. 

“I can't believe the guards got the better of you-” Kumo started, sucking her teeth in disappointment. 

“Caines was trying to hit someone who was choking me and he missed,” Jyn grinned at the look of horror on Kumo’s face, “Caines isn't the greatest at hand to hand combat.” 

“But you are?” Kumo’s moves were efficient, and Jyn wanted to ask how exactly Kumo got so good at covering bruises, but she feared the response meant that Jyn would have to leave the rebellion to go on a manhunt. 

“I am fantastic at hand to hand combat,” Jyn let the unhurt side of her mouth quirk up, “it's why they sent me on this mission.” 

“I doubt that,” Kumo leaned back and nodded, jerking her head towards the mirror. The bruise was gone, and in its place was flawless skin. Kumo stood up and moved behind Jyn, pulling out her careful bun and putting a messy braid in its place, “this is how high class women do their hair at night.” 

Jyn nodded, studying her reflection, before she ran her hands through her hair and balled her fists, rumbling the braid, at Kumo’s frown, Jyn smiled, “sex hair.” 

Kumo nodded, then followed Jyn to the entrance to the room, Jyn waited until they were in the line of the back exit, before gesturing towards Bodhi’s room, “thank you, Kumo, your service is no longer needed-” Jyn spoke loudly so whoever was talking to Cassian could hear. 

Kumo curtsied and ducked into Bodhi’s room. 

Jyn quickly changed and pulled a robe over her shoulders, before fastening it better than Cassian had. Then she stepped out of the room to join her fake husband and finish the charade.

XxXxXxXxX

“Where’s your man?” One of the stewards asked as they loaded up the first plane Cassian could borrow. Cassian responded with a vague gesture as he rubbed his brow, hinting that Bodhi was already in the plane somewhere. None of the stewards questioned it.

The makeup covered the bruises but not the swelling that appeared over night. Kumo had rescued them again, producing a hat that had a partial veil to cover half of Jyn’s face. Kumo stood at the edge of the tarmac with Jyn, her hands folded carefully as if she hadn't aided and abetted a pair of rebels. Jyn waited until the stewards disappeared to turn to Kumo.

“Come with us,” Jyn muttered, suspicious of Sera jumping out from behind a box to proposition her again. 

“I can't, I mean I'd love to, but when the cruise returns to dock I have to get my sister. It's just us,” Kumo smiled widely, “I'm just glad I can help.” 

“We could use someone like you-” _who was the recruiter now Cassian_? “If you ever change your mind-”

Jyn looked around unsure of what to do. She tugged off one of her diamonds and handed it to her. 

“There's a hawker on Panora, give him this and tell him Jyn sent you. He’ll hunt me down for you-” she rattled off a name and address and hoped she hadn't ruined everything by telling Kumo her real name. Kumo held the ring with both hands, as if afraid to drop it, “the ring is to cover the cost of transit for you and your sister-”

“Darling!” Cassian called from the ship, staying in character. 

“Coming my love!” Jyn shouted back, before turning to Kumo and placing her hands over Kumo’s, “I'm really happy I met you.” 

Jyn couldn't handle how big and watery Kumo’s eyes became, so she turned, ridiculous skirts swirling with her, and strode towards her fake husband.

XxXxXxXxX

It took them a week to get back to base. The weapon and ship are dangerous, but Jyn knows that there was a simultaneous mission to destroy the plans that led to its creation. The massive bureaucracy of the empire still hadn’t recovered from Scarif, so once the prototype plans were destroyed the weapon itself was effectively destroyed.

By the time they get back to the base her bruise was yellowing at the edges and Cassian’s goatee was growing back. Kaytu made an excessive amount of comments about Jyn’s face, and Draven refused to confirm or deny the reason why he asked Mon Mothma to assign Jyn to the case but other than that the first three hours back on the base are uneventful. She apologized about the diamonds but apparently they were stolen accidentally from The Empire in the first place, which made her slightly concerned about Kumo but also relieved that she didn't accidentally give away princess Leia’s jewelry. 

It's a busy rush of information being exchanged, decisions being made, and an extensive wardrobe of clothes to be returned then all at once it stops. There’s nothing left to be done but go to bed and sleep it off until the next mission. By the next morning Cassian would probably be sent to the far reaches of the universe and Jyn will be knee deep in tactical work and no where close to Draven- just like she likes it.

“Alright, I'm off to bed,” Jyn announced, standing up in the narrow ship that de facto belonged to Cassian. 

“Finally,” Kaytu announced, and Jyn is positive that at some point in the next decade Kaytu will be able to say something nice to her when they're not on the brink of death. 

Cassian turned in his seat, his usual frown back in place, the undercover grin thankfully gone. He didn't say anything, after a month of having to chatter nonstop Jyn is fairly confident that he'll probably take two months to recover. But he stood to follow her and that little sign of dedication was all she needed. 

Jyn stepped out of the ship, ducking her head and doing her best to subtly check for eavesdropping attendants.

Cassian stood in the doorway, his arm braced on the frame as he looked down at her. The look on his face was a mix of admiration and love, it's a look he saves for her and she loves it. 

“You have more to do?” She asked, as she stood at the foot of the ramp, he nodded in response. “Okay, I'll see you later.” 

She turned to walk away, the feeling that she had to say something more lodged in her chest. The _in my quarters_ was implied. She had watched as he strolled past the quartermaster earlier when he should've gone to register. She knows that he'd rather be in her room, but still. 

“I didn't like faking it,” she finally said, looking at the wide open hanger.

“What?” He asked to the back of her head, she spun around to face him, he pointed at his face, putting the fake smile back on “you don't like it when I smile.” 

“No, I love your smile,” she stood, one foot on the ramp and one on solid ground, unsure of how she should phrase it, “I didn't like having to call you my husband.” 

His face dropped instantly and she took two steps up on the ramp, “I didn't mean- I mean I didn't like calling you my husband and knowing it wasn't real. The next time I have to call you my husband, I'd like it to be real, and I'd like it to be forever.” 

The edge of his frown tilted up, but he didn't respond, so she barreled on, “I liked knowing that when I went to my rooms you'd be there waiting for me, and I don't necessarily want everyone to know what goes on between us-” they were still nominally a secret “- but I like knowing that you were mine, all mine.” 

“I am all yours, I've been all yours,” his smile was genuine, it was her turn to frown. 

“Does that mean you don't want-” she trailed off, neither of them were great at talking about their emotions. 

“No, it doesn't mean I don't want to marry you,” he took a moment before continuing, he stepped away from the door frame, “I do want to court you.” 

“Cassian-” 

“Listen, I was planning on asking you before we left but I couldn't figure out what was holding me back, then you made the comment about being courted-” she remembered the joke, she missed the chocolate “-and I realized that was what it was.” 

“So you want to court me?” 

He paused, as if holding back on saying something, before nodding. 

“But then you'll marry me.” She continued, taking another step up the ramp towards him. 

Another nod. 

“Okay then, court me,” she stepped back and spread out her arms, “court me all night long-” 

“A month.” Cassian supplied, “and I should probably get my own quarters-” 

“What?” She grabbed his hands, “no don't do that-” 

“You can't sleep with someone you're courting,” Cassian stepped forward, looming over her, “a month of dinners and chocolates, then that way there's the added bonus of no bruises-” 

“I see your point, but Cassian you're going to be on missions and the like, what if you don't-” she stopped suddenly, she was a field officer now as well. There was always a chance one of them wouldn't come back, “you can court me during the day but be with me at night. I can't be apart from you. Also two weeks.” 

“Together at night but a month,” Cassian returned, ignoring the implications with her. 

“Deal,” she stood up on her toes, splitting the difference between the ramp and his height as he bent to help her, this time when she pulled back and wished him goodbye there was no regrets, and no unsaid words between them. 

Although she did have to turn back to say one more comment, “We’re getting way better at talking about our feelings.” 

Cassian’s response was just to roll his eyes and duck back into the ship, leaving Jyn to walk away smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> Writing in Jyn's perspective is a nice change of pace. 
> 
> I've mapped it out, there's going to be one more VERY short one, which is a 5+1 from Cassian's p.o.v. then I think I'll be done with this series for a while. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
